The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Alienware Area-51 M9750

    Discussion in 'Alienware' started by AirSinner, Jun 16, 2009.

  1. AirSinner

    AirSinner Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    183
    Messages:
    456
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Hey guys. I seen someone close by in Canada that is selling an Alienware Area-51 M9750 for pretty cheap. I was curious if anyone else has owned this model of Alienware before and if so, how did you like it? Specs are as followed.

    Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 2.33 GHz
    2GB Ram.
    2x200 GB HD, 7200 RPM.
    Nvidia 7950 SLI. ( I'm assuming he is talkin about the 7950 GTX )

    Thats pretty much what the specs are like. Anyway, if you own or owned this computer how was the experience? Thanks!
     
  2. simonmpoulton

    simonmpoulton Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    158
    Messages:
    1,004
    Likes Received:
    37
    Trophy Points:
    66
    It's still a good system even today, reliable, powerful and still capable of gaming today :) Can also be upgraded to the ATI Radeon HD3870's if you can find the cards!
     
  3. AirSinner

    AirSinner Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    183
    Messages:
    456
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Oh really??? Well that is really good to know. I'm reading the review of this computer on NBR right now. It seems like a decent computer! I remember the XPS m1710 had a 7950 GTX but I don't think it was SLI. But I could be wrong.
     
  4. XRod

    XRod Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    12
    Messages:
    96
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    How much are they selling it for?
     
  5. JasonNH

    JasonNH Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    45
    Messages:
    319
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    31
    That's almost exactly what I have. How old is the computer and what is the repair history?

    Mine was great for the first two years and I still really like it when it's working. The layout and the case is still such a beautiful design, but a number of problems have begun cropping up since the 2 year mark. Of course, every computer is different, and you're always taking a risk when buying used, but the m9750 has been a decently reliable system for a lot of people.
     
  6. AirSinner

    AirSinner Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    183
    Messages:
    456
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    What kind of problems did you have?
     
  7. JasonNH

    JasonNH Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    45
    Messages:
    319
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    31
    My case started cracking near the hinges, which is very rare for this chassis but they did a nice job fixing it under warranty with no hassle.

    Then it started powering itself down and would not come on. It was diagnosed to be a bad 7950GTX video card. They replaced it and sent it back. Then the computer died again 6 days later while gaming. It would boot, but there would be no display whatsoever. They sent another 7950GTX video card and the display came back, but the colors were all messed up. It looked fine with an external monitor, so they think that when the second video card died it did something to the LCD itself. It is currently back at Alienware being fixed.

    One of the difficulties is that the 7950GTX cards are not really in production any more and if you run into problems with them it will be difficult (and expensive - about $450-$500) to replace one.

    Good luck.
     
  8. simonmpoulton

    simonmpoulton Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    158
    Messages:
    1,004
    Likes Received:
    37
    Trophy Points:
    66
    Best bet is actually to upgrade it to an ATI HD3870 like I did :)
    Theres always the option of the nVidia 8700M's, pity they dont perform as well as the 7950's though!
     
  9. JasonNH

    JasonNH Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    45
    Messages:
    319
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Now you're just showing off. :p